KEY POINTS

1Ar­rive early be­fore the river be­comes busy. Both Lit­tle Ringed Plovers and Com­mon Sand­pipers breed, the lat­ter oc­ca­sion­ally over win­ter­ing. Dun­lin are the most likely pas­sage wader; oth­ers in­clud­ing San­der­ling, Lit­tle Stint and Pur­ple Sand­piper are very rare.

Canada Geese may not stir bird­watcher ex­cite­ment but it is worth pon­der­ing that, when ab­sent in late sum­mer, they have flown to moult on the Mo­ray Firth. Goosanders, how­ever, can be en­coun­tered through­out the year hav­ing nested in the county since 1972.

2The sight­ing of a King­fisher is al­ways a great delight on any river­side walk, the Wye, in au­tumn, pro­vid­ing ex­cel­lent op­por­tu­ni­ties. Dip­pers are here also, of which there is a higher den­sity in Rad­nor­shire than any other county.

3Formerly part of the bed of the River Wye, the pool at Pwll­patti, a Rad­nor Wildlife Trust re­serve which may be viewed from the road­side hide, at­tracts an abun­dance of win­ter­ing duck.